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Fortune

Steve Mollman

How Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Peter Thiel each tick differently but are all 'live players,' according to Bismarck's Samo Burja

Elon Musk Peter Thiel Sam Altman Tesla Inc.

(Credit: Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Getting a proper read on technology billionaires can sometimes be challenging, but Samo Burja recently sketched out a "few basics” about three of the more prominent ones: Tesla CEO Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and technology investor Peter Thiel.

Burja, president of political risk consultancy Bismarck Analysis, shared his thoughts in a Wednesday episode of the Live Players podcast. He describes "live players" as people who step away from norms, improvise, and think from first principles and says such individuals are instrumental in preventing societal stagnation.

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